About: The wait at the Popover Cafe was pretty long (even though we were early for brunch, 11:30ish) so we decided to walk and find a new brunch spot. Sure enough, a block or two away was Slightly Oliver, a gastropub with a very economical brunch special!

Food/Drinks: Love the nontraditional brunch special that fits anyone's budget. Instead of paying a set amount and getting an entree and a drink, Slightly Oliver offers a free drink with any entree on the menu - priced individually.

For $8 you can indulge in eggs any way you like, and you won't be disappointed with measly portions. Take a look at the image below, the plate is overflowing with scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes. This dish also came with toast (although it was the tiniest piece of toast ever) and a cocktail.

For $2 more, add in two ingredients for an omelette. They were out of spinach so I opted for mushroom and swiss. I gotta say, this was the perfect omelette with just the right amount of ingredients, not too greasy, and sized to my liking. Also, it came with a pretty big side salad, lightly dressed.

The sangria was delicious - and I tend to be skeptical of sangrias. Not too sweet, just the right amount (and right size) of cut up fruit, and super refreshing.

Atmosphere: While the inside of the restaurant looks like any old pub, if you look up you'll see a beautiful chandelier that seems a bit out of place. The outside is comfortable with many tables and attentive service.

Bottom Line: $20 brunch special with best brunch freebies (pastries and fruit and champagne!)

Tips:

Only drawback is sometimes traffic can be a little loud with outdoor seating but with the right company you won't even notice

Two locations in Staten Island, one in the West Village on Bleecker

About: A gourmet eatery and bakery, with two locations on Staten Island and one in Manhattan.Food/Drinks: A $19.95 brunch special fills you to the brim with an entree, a non-alcoholic beverage, a glass of champagne, and most impressively, a platter of fresh pastries and fresh fruit.

The mushroom omelette (caramelized onions, fontina cheese and mushrooms served with home fries and toast) had some truffle oil drizzled on top and was so creamy and delicious. The French toast was sweet – but not too sweet (I think I tasted a hint of ginger) – and filling! The amount of fresh berries on the side made syrup optional. If you’re tired of mimosas and want to mix it up, The Galileo was our favorite drink – Champagne with a hint of strawberry – very light and refreshing. The Bellini was good as well but nothing to rave about. All of the food was very fresh – the fruit and pastries included. The apple puff and cheese pastries were especially good.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere is elegant without being stuffy. Indoors, you will be seated to the right of a large – and tempting – bakery full of delicious specialty treats, so you may want to save some room for dessert! Outdoors, you will be shielded from the sun with the large canopies – but not from the heat. Just order a nice drink to cool you down. The seating outside isn’t as formal, but the lanterns and greenery in front of the restaurant make for a pleasant outdoor scene. Pasticceria Bruno: 1650 Hylan Boulevard, 718.987.5859

Bottom Line: This cash-only spot has a great entree + 3 drink brunch special (for $23) and is great for large groups of boozy brunchers.

Tips:

No a-la-carte options here, it's brunch special or bust

Open LATE for brunch on Sundays, 11AM - 8PM

If you are seated before noon on Sunday, you can have complimentary alcohol-free beverages (since NY doesn't allow alcohol to be served until noon)

About: Inside this unassuming, public-school looking facade is one of the trendiest, 'scene-iest' brunch spots on the Lower East Side. Welcoming of large groups (try to make a reservation though), Essex is perfect for birthdays, bachelorettes, and friends visiting from out of town.

Food: Everyone raves about the potato pancakes with apple and honey cream sauce!

Drinks: While the menu states the brunch special includes three cocktails, rumor has it that they'll keep pouring for you. Also - try the homemade bacon vodka.

Atmosphere:Trendy, see-and-be-seen atmosphere where you will definitely want to look your Sunday best. The decor is simple and sleek, and the multi-level seating areas are great for groups who can reserve space in advance.

This is the earliest-starting brunch I know of, starting at 8am, so come early and then you can hit up another brunch spot for lunch brunch!

About: Inside this quaint restaurant, you will feel like you are at a family-owned cafe somewhere out in the country. The mismatched coffee cups and salt/pepper shakers give it a Grandma's house feel, and the comfort food (biscuits are amazing) definitely adds to the cozy dynamic.

Food: The $12 make-you-own omelette option is always reliable. I recommend gruyere and mushrooms, but you can mix and match your favorite ingredients. Omelettes come with a light, buttery biscuit instead of traditional toast - sooo good! The potatoes are cut into little cubes which have a nice crispy skin. The brioche French toast is another must-have, drawing attention to all nearby tables. This dish is huge and looks like a big slice of birthday cake.

Drink: Brunch includes a small OJ or cranberry juice, and cocktails are about $6 each.

Atmosphere: Very casual and homey, this restaurant caters to locals at all life stages who are looking for a good bite to eat in a relaxing, quaint environment. The place settings are different at each table (coffee cups, salt and pepper shakers) which makes for a homey feel.

Bottom Line: Great service, great food, great ambiance, and great music - a Brunch Upon A Time favorite!

Tips:

There is live jazz music every Sunday

Dim lighting makes it hard to read the menu

Check out the old newspaper articles lining the bathroom walls

$20 all-you-can-drink special (didn't see it on the menu, so be sure to ask about it!)

Food: The brunch menu - which includes Latin Breakfast Empanadas, Eggs Benedictowitz and Tacos - is crafted to represent the melting pot of cultures that are found in the Lower East Side. The Benedictowitz was great in theory with a unique spin on the Benedict (potato pancake, smoked salmon, poached egg, and hollandaise), but we think the potato pancake was too thick and took away from the other flavors. The Empanadas were delicious - especially with the special salsa they come with.

Drinks: $20 bottomless drink special (which makes sense if you are getting more than 2 cocktails). Be sure to check out the smaller menu on your table - that is full of specialty brunch cocktails including a coffee drink with patron, absolut vanilia and nutmeg!

Atmosphere: While not so secret with a big sign out front, Sons of Essex appears to be a deli/bakery upon first glance. Go through a door on the left and voila: a rather large bar/restaurant with and old-school feel, dim lighting to set the mood and a three piece jazz band. Check out the beautiful wood-paneled ceiling and the paintings and old books lining the walls throughout the restaurant. Overall, a casual atmosphere, though the dim lighting and live music are perfect for setting a more romantic mood.

Bottom Line: Get here early to score one of the 6 or so tables, forget your diet, and don't expect good service.

Tips:

Don't ask your waiter for any help choosing your dish or interpreting the encyclopedia menu

Get a half order of pancakes, French toast or 'slutty cakes' for 1/2 the cost of the dish plus $3. It will still be plenty and then you can order something else too!

And finally, no reservations, no credit cards, no parties larger than four people, and no alcohol

About: This is not a restaurant. It is a little cafe within the Essex Market (the southernmost side of the market) - so don't expect anything fancy. Our service was pretty bad starting with the waiter asking us to move around a not-so-light table and flip the chairs over ourselves. Then he wouldn't give us suggestions or even tell us what 'slutty cakes' were (we ordered them anyway, they are mini pancake sandwiches mixed and topped with delicious extras like chocolate chips, banana, nuts, etc.). Also when it was time for the check, it couldn't have taken longer (and with so few seats, you'd think he wanted to push us through to get more seatings!?). However, the food was delicious and since we arrived early and didn't have to wait to sit, we didn't let the service get us down.

Food: We enjoyed our two dessert-for-brunch meals. A lot. The menu has over 900 items so it's impossible to tell you everything, but what we didn't get to try that looked amazing were the pancake sandwiches: full-size pancakes with an egg dish in the middle... next time! See the below for images and descriptions of our Egypt Slutty Cakes and Vanilla French Toast.

Drink: No booze here, kids. But the fresh OJ was delish and the iced coffee was actually better than most (only whole milk by the way).

Atmosphere: Not much to say here except there isn't much of an atmosphere. While the teeny tiny 'inside' (where the door to the kitchen is) has a nice feel and NY pride (Giants and METS stuff on the walls), the main seating area is literally in the hallway of the market next to an empty storefront. Again, delicious food but nothing much to look at.

Be prepared to wait at the bar if your whole party doesn't arrive together

Be sure to ask about the specials, there is usually a special omelette, quiche and soup of the day

About: This quaint sidewalk cafe is home to three separate dining rooms, a theater and a delicious brunch special. Opened by a trio of artists in '77, this locale has stayed true to its roots with nightly performances and artists' works on the walls - in addition to its aesthetically pleasing entrees.

Food: The $20 brunch special gets you a main dish, a bread, a juice or cocktail, and a coffee or tea. The entrees are relatively standard - huevos rancheros, pancakes, eggs, etc. - but they are cooked with precision and presented with a minimalist touch. The bread is the real treat and I opted for the warm chocolate bread (yum!) over the home baked croissant, home baked muffin or baguette. Meals are also available a la carte, with a few additional options including mussels, but if you want a coffee and a cocktail, the special is the way to go.

Drinks: No special cocktail list, standard brunch drinks (which are included in the special) include: mimosa, champagne, bloody Mary, or Greyhound. You can also get iced coffee which isn't on the menu but is actually quite good and refreshing.

Atmosphere: The main dining room and side room have a casual, quaint and slightly rustic feel that is inviting as you walk in from the quiet, neighborhoody Cornelia street. The back dining room is slightly more formal and tends to be the last of the three to fill up with brunchers. Downstairs you'll find the restrooms as well as the stage where nightly performances take place, and throughout the restaurant the walls are lined with art that adds to its cultural appeal.